DNA test planned for Lake Ontario to determine souce of bacteria

LOCKPORT - DNA testing to confirm the source of bacteria that occasionally closes beaches on Lake Ontario may occur soon, the Niagara County Board of Health learned this week.

The report of the plans came as Krull Park Beach in Olcott was closed to swimming for the first time this year.

The beach was closed on Tuesday and reopened Friday, the county Health Department said.

An investigation last year, after Krull was closed eight times because of high E. coli bacteria readings in water samples, tentatively concluded that seagull droppings washing off the heavily coated piers near the beach might be to blame.

However, Town of Newfane Supervisor Timothy R. Horanburg insisted last summer that sewage discharged from the City of Lockport wastewater treatment plant into Eighteen Mile Creek was the likely cause.

However, testing at 14 locations between the plant and the lake, which showed E. coli levels dropping rapidly the farther one got from Lockport on the creek's 13-mile run to the lake, cast doubt on that theory.

DNA testing likely would settle the issue, and Environmental Health Director James J. Devald told the Board of Health on Thursday that he hopes it can occur soon.

An extra, larger water sample would have to be taken and tested quickly for DNA when there is a high E. coli score in the regular sample, Devald explained.

"We have to time that sampling with a high bacteria count," he said.

There have been high bacteria counts east of Olcott, too. Devald said Camp Kenan's beach in Somerset had an elevated bacteria count Tuesday and would have been closed, but it hasn't opened for the season yet.

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DNA test planned for Lake Ontario to determine souce of bacteria

Posted in DNA

Cold-case unit: DNA solves 1991 homicide

DNA evidence has solved a cold case a 1991 homicide in which a woman was stabbed to death in front of her teenage daughter at her store in American Canyon, according to the Napa County Sheriffs Office.

The suspect, Michael Lantz, a convicted bank robber from American Canyon and Vallejo, will not be brought to trial. He died in 1994 in federal prison in Missouri, investigators said Thursday.

Lantz was identified by DNA found on the handle of the knife used to kill Kin Po Ko, Sheriffs Capt. Leroy Anderson said.

Ko, 38, was at Sams Market on March 23, 1991 with her 14-year-old daughter when two men came into her store at the corner of Poco Way and Broadway/Highway 29. A man approached the counter and brandished a knife while he removed cash from the register, Anderson said.

But Ko tried to retrieve the cash and began to struggle with the man who stabbed her once in the back, police said. Ko, whose store had been robbed before, fired a gun, but only hit a door, Anderson said.

She tried to pursue her attacker, but gave up before collapsing inside the doorway, Anderson said. Kos daughter called 911.

Sheriffs investigators said the suspect and another man fled the scene and disappeared. Ko died at the hospital later that day from the knife injury.

Lantz was identified after the serial number on the knife led detectives to a relative of the suspect. Although Lantz was considered the primary suspect, he could not be found for a year after the killing, greatly hampering the investigation, Anderson said. The second man, possibly a lookout, was never identified.

The Napa County district attorneys office felt there was not enough evidence to prosecute Lantz, explained Todd Shulman, a Napa Police Department detective and a member of Napa Countys cold case unit.

Evidence from the scene included the knife, cigarette butts left outside the store, now Broadway Market, and a beer can, Shulman said. Luckily, Lantz DNA had been uploaded to a nationwide DNA bank after he was sent to prison for bank robbery, he said.

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Cold-case unit: DNA solves 1991 homicide

Posted in DNA

DNA analysis on juveniles accused of crime not allowed, Arizona court says

Analyzing the DNA samples of youngsters who have not been found guilty of any crime is an unconstitutional warrantless search, the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled.

In a unanimous decision Wednesday, the justices said the state is free to force juveniles accused of certain serious offenses to provide a DNA sample. Justice Andrew Hurwitz, writing for the court, said that is little difference than fingerprints or mug shots.

But Hurwitz said that legal parallel ceases to exist once the state submits that sample for processing by the Department of Public Safety crime laboratory. He said that processing results in the state obtaining uniquely identifying information about individual genetics.

What it also means, Hurwitz said, is that DNA profile is placed into both state and national databases so police agencies can use it to see if a youngster is linked to any unsolved crimes. The justices said that, absent a juvenile actually being adjudicated delinquent, there is no reason for the government to have that information.

Having a DNA profile before adjudication may conceivably speed such investigations, he wrote.

But one accused of a crime, although having diminished expectations of privacy in some respects, does not forfeit Fourth Amendment protections with respect to other offenses not charged absent either probable cause or reasonable suspicion, Hurwitz continued. An arrest for vehicular homicide, for example, cannot alone justify a warrantless search of an arrestees financial records to see if he is also an embezzler.

Wednesdays ruling could have broader implications.

Christina Phillis, director of Maricopa Countys Office of Public Advocate, noted that other Arizona laws require similar testing of DNA samples taken from adults at the time of arrest. To date, though, Phillis said no adult who has not yet been convicted has mounted a similar challenge to this one.

This case -- and the logic behind it espoused by Hurwitz -- could provide the framework for the court to consider the issue.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose office had defended the DNA testing, said in a prepared statement he was pleased the court will allow samples to still be taken. But he disagreed with the conclusion that actually processing the sample amounted to any sort of invasion of privacy.

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DNA analysis on juveniles accused of crime not allowed, Arizona court says

Posted in DNA

DNA evidence links suspect to 1979 rapes

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 28 (UPI) -- Police in North Carolina say DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a 62-year-old man for rape cases dating back to 1979.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Jerry Lee Brooks was arrested Tuesday in Surfside Beach, S.C., south of Myrtle Beach, The Charlotte Observer reported.

The department's Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit began in December investigating a series of rapes that happened in Charlotte in 1979, which investigators at the time called the "ski mask rapist cases."

Police found DNA evidence was available in several of the rape cases and analysis of the evidence showed they were linked. Police said a match from a DNA database led investigators to Brooks.

A Mecklenburg County grand jury indicated Brooks on three counts of rape, two counts of a crime against nature, two counts of breaking and entering, two counts of attempted armed robbery and a count each of burglary and armed robbery. He was being held in a jail in Horry County, S.C., awaiting extradition to Charlotte.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokesman Robert Fey said investigators will review rape cases from the late 1970s and early 1980s to determine whether Brooks could be held responsible in other sexual assaults.

Brooks had been convicted in the 1980s and 1990s on charges including breaking and entering, safe-cracking, common law robbery and embezzlement, North Carolina court records indicate.

He was released from federal custody in February 2005 after serving time for armed bank robbery, the Observer said.

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DNA evidence links suspect to 1979 rapes

Posted in DNA

Programmable DNA scissors found for bacterial immune system

Programmable DNA scissors: A double-RNA structure in the bacterial immune system has been discovered that directs Cas9 enzymes to cleave and destroy invading DNA at specific nucleotide sequences. This same dual RNA structure should be programmable for genome editing. Credit: (Image by H. Adam Steinberg, artforscience.com)

(Phys.org) -- Genetic engineers and genomics researchers should welcome the news from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) where an international team of scientists has discovered a new and possibly more effective means of editing genomes. This discovery holds potentially big implications for advanced biofuels and therapeutic drugs, as genetically modified microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, are expected to play a key role in the green chemistry production of these and other valuable chemical products.

Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist with Berkeley Lab's Physical Biosciences Division and professor at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, helped lead the team that identified a double-RNA structure responsible for directing a bacterial protein to cleave foreign DNA at specific nucleotide sequences. Furthermore, the research team found that it is possible to program the protein with a single RNA to enable cleavage of essentially any DNA sequence.

"We've discovered the mechanism behind the RNA-guided cleavage of double-stranded DNA that is central to the bacterial acquired immunity system," says Doudna, who holds appointments with UC Berkeley's Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Department of Chemistry, and is an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). "Our results could provide genetic engineers with a new and promising alternative to artificial enzymes for gene targeting and genome editing in bacteria and other cell types."

Doudna is one of two corresponding authors of a paper in the journal Science describing this work titled "A programmable dual RNA-guided DNA endonuclease in adaptive bacterial immunity." The second corresponding author is Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine at Sweden's Ume University. Other co-authors of the paper were Martin Jinek, Krzysztof Chylinski, Ines Fonfara and Michael Hauer.

Bacterial and archaeon microbes face a never-ending onslaught from viruses and invading circles of nucleic acid known as plasmids. To survive, the microbes deploy an adaptive-type nucleic acid-based immune system that revolves around a genetic element known as CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Through the combination of CRISPRs and associated endonucleases, called CRISPR-associated "Cas" proteins, bacteria and archaeons are able to utilize small customized crRNA molecules (for CRISPR-derived RNA) to target and destroy the DNA of invading viruses and plasmids.

There are three distinct types of CRISPR/Cas immunity systems. Doudna and her colleagues studied the Type II system which relies exclusively upon one family of endonucleases for the targeting and cleaving of foreign DNA, the Cas9 proteins.

"For the Type II CRISPR/Cas system, we found that crRNA connects via base-pairs with a trans-activating RNA (tracrRNA), to form a two-RNA structure," Doudna says. "These dual RNA molecules (tracrRNA:crRNA) direct Cas9 proteins to introduce double-stranded DNA breaks at specific sites targeted by the crRNA-guide sequence."

Doudna and her colleagues demonstrated that the dual tracrRNA:crRNA molecules can be engineered as a single RNA chimera for site-specific DNA cleavage, opening the door to RNA-programmable genome editing.

"Cas9 binds to the tracrRNA:crRNA complex which in turn directs it to a specific DNA sequence through base-pairing between the crRNA and the target DNA," Doudna says. "Microbes use this elegant mechanism to cleave and destroy viruses and plasmids, but for genome editing, the system could be used to introduce targeted DNA changes into the genome.

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Programmable DNA scissors found for bacterial immune system

Posted in DNA

Court: State can't analyze DNA samples of juveniles not convicted

Analyzing the DNA samples of youngsters who have not been found guilty of any crime is an unconstitutional warrantless search, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

In a unanimous decision, the justices said the state is free to force juveniles accused of certain serious offenses to provide a DNA sample. Justice Andrew Hurwitz, writing for the court, said that is little different than fingerprints or mug shots.

But Hurwitz said that legal parallel ceases to exist once the state submits that sample for processing by the Department of Public Safety crime laboratory. He said that processing results in the state obtaining "uniquely identifying information about individual genetics."

What it also means, Hurwitz said, is that DNA profile is placed into both state and national databases so police agencies can use it to see if a youngster is linked to any unsolved crimes. The justices said that, absent a juvenile actually being adjudicated delinquent, there is no reason for the government to have that information.

"Having a DNA profile before adjudication may conceivably speed such investigations," he wrote.

"But one accused of a crime, although having diminished expectations of privacy in some respects, does not forfeit Fourth Amendment protections with respect to other offenses not charged absent either probable cause or reasonable suspicion," Hurwitz continued. "An arrest for vehicular homicide, for example, cannot alone justify a warrantless search of an arrestee's financial records to see if he is also an embezzler."

Wednesday's ruling could have broader implications.

Christina Phillis, director of Maricopa County's Office of Public Advocate, noted that other Arizona laws require similar testing of DNA samples taken from adults at the time of arrest. To date, though, Phillis said no adult who has not yet been convicted has mounted a similar challenge to this one.

This case -- and the logic behind it espoused by Hurwitz -- could provide the framework for the court to consider the issue.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose office had defended the DNA testing, said in a prepared statement he was pleased the court will allow samples to still be taken. But he disagreed with the conclusion that actually processing the sample amounted to any sort of invasion of privacy.

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Court: State can't analyze DNA samples of juveniles not convicted

Posted in DNA

Explore Leading-Edge Forensic DNA Technologies and Techniques at the 2012 International Symposium on Human …

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The rapid expansion of DNA technologies has both technical and ethical implications. Forensic professionals interested in learning about developing forensic DNA technologies and exploring the potential impact are invited to join scientists, law enforcement professionals and forensic experts at the 23rd International Symposium on Human Identification (ISHI), October 15-18 in Nashville, Tennessee.

WHAT:

WHO:

WHERE:

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WEB:

This symposium for forensic experts and suppliers is offered through Promega Corporation, a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The companys 2,000 products enable scientists worldwide to advance their knowledge in genomics, proteomics, cellular analysis, molecular diagnostics and human identification. Founded in 1978, the company is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 15 countries and over 50 global distributors. For more information about Promega, visit http://www.promega.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50325859&lang=en

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Posted in DNA

Judge rules DNA analysis of unconvicted juveniles illegal

PHOENIX Analyzing the DNA samples of youngsters who have not been found guilty of any crime is an unconstitutional warrantless search, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

In a unanimous decision, the justices said the state is free to force juveniles accused of certain serious offenses to provide a DNA sample. Justice Andrew Hurwitz, writing for the court, said that is little difference than fingerprints or mug shots.

But Hurwitz said that legal parallel ceases to exist once the state submits that sample for processing by the Department of Public Safety crime laboratory. He said that processing results in the state obtaining uniquely identifying information about individual genetics.''

What it also means, Hurwitz said, is that DNA profile is placed into both state and national databases so police agencies can use it to see if a youngster is linked to any unsolved crimes. The justices said that, absent a juvenile actually being adjudicated delinquent, there is no reason for the government to have that information.

Having a DNA profile before adjudication may conceivably speed such investigations,'' he wrote.

But one accused of a crime, although having diminished expectations of privacy in some respects, does not forfeit Fourth Amendment protections with respect to other offenses not charged absent either probable cause or reasonable suspicion,'' Hurwitz continued. An arrest for vehicular homicide, for example, cannot alone justify a warrantless search of an arrestee's financial records to see if he is also an embezzler.''

Wednesday's ruling could have broader implications.

Christina Phillis, director of Maricopa County's Office of Public Advocate, noted that other Arizona laws require similar testing of DNA samples taken from adults at the time of arrest. To date, though, Phillis said no adult who has not yet been convicted has mounted a similar challenge to this one.

This case and the logic behind it espoused by Hurwitz could provide the framework for the court to consider the issue.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose office had defended the DNA testing, said in a prepared statement he was pleased the court will allow samples to still be taken. But he disagreed with the conclusion that actually processing the sample amounted to any sort of invasion of privacy.

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Judge rules DNA analysis of unconvicted juveniles illegal

Posted in DNA

AZ high court limits analysis of juvenile defendants' DNA

Analyzing the DNA samples of juveniles who have not been found guilty of any crime is an unconstitutional warrantless search, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

In a unanimous decision, the justices said the state may force juveniles accused of certain serious offenses to provide a DNA sample. Justice Andrew Hurwitz, writing for the court, said that is little different than fingerprints or mug shots.

But Hurwitz said that legal parallel ceases to exist once the state submits that sample for processing by the Department of Public Safety crime laboratory.

He said that by doing the lab processing, the state obtains "uniquely identifying information about individual genetics."

What it also means, Hurwitz said, is that DNA profile is placed into both state and national databases so police agencies can use it to see if a youth is linked to any unsolved crimes. The justices said that, absent a juvenile actually being found delinquent of a crime, there is no reason for the government to have that information.

"Having a DNA profile before adjudication may conceivably speed such investigations," he wrote.

"But one accused of a crime, although having diminished expectations of privacy in some respects, does not forfeit Fourth Amendment protections with respect to other offenses not charged absent either probable cause or reasonable suspicion," Hurwitz continued. "An arrest for vehicular homicide, for example, cannot alone justify a warrantless search of an arrestee's financial records to see if he is also an embezzler."

The ruling could have broader implications.

Christina Phillis, director of Maricopa County's Office of Public Advocate, noted that other Arizona laws require similar testing of DNA samples taken from adults at the time of arrest. To date, though, Phillis said no adult who has not yet been convicted has mounted a similar challenge to this one. This case - and the logic espoused by Hurwitz - could provide the framework for the court to consider the issue.

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, whose office had defended the DNA testing, said he was pleased the court will allow samples to be taken. But he disagreed with the conclusion that processing the sample amounted to invasion of privacy.

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AZ high court limits analysis of juvenile defendants' DNA

Posted in DNA

Wales records DNA of all native plants

CARMARTHENSHIRE, Wales, June 27 (UPI) -- Wales says it has recorded the DNA of all its native flowering plants, which may help conservation and lead to new drugs to fight illnesses.

It is the first country in the world to create such a database, the National Botanic Garden of Wales said.

Wales has about 75 percent of the flowering plants found in Britain, and the database contains 1,143 plants and conifers, officials said.

The Barcode Wales project has been led by Natasha de Vere, head of conservation and research from the National Botanic Garden in Carmarthenshire, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Barcodes are short DNA sequences allowing plants to be identified from pollen grains, seed pieces, or roots and wood.

"Wales is now in the unique position of being able to identify plant species from materials which in the past would have been incredibly difficult or impossible," de Vere said.

"Through the Barcode Wales project, we have created a powerful platform for a broad range of research from biodiversity conservation to human health."

In the next phase of a three-year project, non-native plants introduced by humans will have their DNA recorded, officials said.

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Wales records DNA of all native plants

Posted in DNA

Physics of going viral: Rate of DNA transfer from viruses to bacteria measured

ScienceDaily (June 27, 2012) Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have been able, for the first time, to watch viruses infecting individual bacteria by transferring their DNA, and to measure the rate at which that transfer occurs. Shedding light on the early stages of infection by this type of virus -- a bacteriophage -- the scientists have determined that it is the cells targeted for infection, rather than the amount of genetic material within the viruses themselves, that dictate how quickly the bacteriophage's DNA is transferred.

"The beauty of our experiment is we were able to watch individual viruses infecting individual bacteria,"says Rob Phillips, the Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics and Biology at Caltech and the principal investigator on the new study. "Other studies of the rate of infection have involved bulk measurements. With our methods, you can actually watch as a virus shoots out its DNA."

The new methods and results are described in a paper titled "A Single-Molecule Hershey-Chase Experiment," which will appear in the July 24 issue of the journal Current Biology and currently appears online. The lead authors of that paper, David Van Valen and David Wu, completed the work while graduate students in Phillips's group.

In the well-known 1952 Hershey-Chase experiment, Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Cold Spring Harbor convincingly confirmed earlier claims that DNA -- and not protein -- was the genetic material in cells. To prove this, the researchers used bacteriophages, which are able to infect bacteria using heads of tightly bundled DNA coated in a protein shell. Hershey and Chase radiolabeled sulfur, contained in the protein shell but not in the DNA, and phosphorus, found in the DNA but not in the protein shell. Then they let the bacteriophages infect the bacterial cells. When they isolated the cells and analyzed their contents, they found that only the radioactive phosphorus had made its way into the bacteria, proving that DNA is indeed the genetic material. The results also showed that, unlike the viruses that infect humans, bacteriophages transmit only their genetic information into their bacterial targets, leaving their "bodies" behind.

"This led, right from the get-go, to people wondering about the mechanism -- about how the DNA gets out of the virus and into the infected cell," Phillips says. Several hypotheses have focused on the fact that the DNA in the virus is under a tremendous amount of pressure. Indeed, previous work has shown that the genetic material is under more pressure within its protein shell than champagne experiences in a corked bottle. After all, as Phillips says, "There are 16 microns [16,000 nanometers] of DNA in a tiny 50-nanometer-sized shell. It's like taking 500 meters of cable from the Golden Gate Bridge and putting it in the back of a FedEx truck."

Phillips's group wanted to find out whether that pressure plays a dominant role in transferring the DNA. Instead, he says, "What we discovered is that the thing that mattered most was not the pressure in the bacteriophage, but how much DNA was in the bacterial cell."

The researchers used a fluorescent dye to stain the DNA of two mutants of a bacteriophage known as lambda bacteriophage -- one with a short genome and one with a longer genome -- while that DNA was still inside the phage. Using a fluorescence microscope, they traced the glowing dye to see when and over what time period the viral DNA transferred from each phage into an E. coli bacterium. The mean ejection time was about five minutes, though that time varied considerably.

This was markedly different from what the group had seen previously when they ran a similar experiment in a test tube. In that earlier setup, they had essentially tricked the bacteriophages into ejecting their DNA into solution -- a task that the phages completed in less than 10 seconds. In that case, once the phage with the longer genome had released enough DNA to make what remained inside the phage equal in length to the shorter genome, the two phages ejected DNA at the same rate. Therefore, Phillips's team reasoned, it was the amount of DNA in the phage that determined how quickly the DNA was transferred.

But Phillips says, "What was true in the test tube is not true in the cell." E. coli cells contain roughly 3 million proteins within a box that is roughly one micron (1,000 nanometers) on each side. Less than 10 nanometers separate each protein from its neighbors. "There's no room for anything else," Phillips says. "These cells are really crowded."

And so, when the bacteriophages try to inject their DNA into the cells, the factor that limits the rate of transfer is how jam-packed those cells are. "In this case," Phillips says, "it had more to do with the recipient, and less to do with the pressure that had built up inside the phage."

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Physics of going viral: Rate of DNA transfer from viruses to bacteria measured

Posted in DNA

Thermal Gradient Announces Manufacture of Next Generation DNA Testing Device

ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Thermal Gradient, Inc., a developer of disposable ultra-fast DNA testing devices, announced today that it has initiated the manufacture of its next generation device. Robert Juncosa, the company's Chief Technology Officer stated, "Our previous generation device was a huge success. It performs PCR, the critical step in almost all DNA tests, in less than eight minutes. This new device is capable of "real-time" PCR, a process used to determine the amount of initial DNA being tested. This is very important when testing for infectious diseases like HIV."

Because of design improvements over the previous generation, the new device will is expected to perform better but will cost less to manufacture.

"Our recent breakthroughs and this new device position us as the premier technology for both point of care and high throughput clinical laboratory testing," says CEO Joel Grover. "Because of our speed, low cost, and fundamental design, the hardware module required to perform a quantitative DNA test is small. This makes it easily scalable to achieve high throughput systems in a modest instrument footprint."

The company will begin testing the new devices in the third quarter. Dr. Grover added, "When our internal testing is complete, we will then make cartridges and demonstration platforms available to diagnostic systems developers for their evaluation and assay optimization."

About Thermal GradientThermal Gradient develops devices and systems based on its patented technology that enables nucleic acid testing to be performed in minutes instead of an hour or more. Systems based on this technology can be developed for clinics and remote settings as well as for main-line diagnostic platforms for the clinical laboratory. For more information, please visit: http://www.thermalgradient.com

Contact:Joel Grover, Ph.D Chief Executive Officer Thermal Gradient, Inc. 585-248-9598 info@thermalgradient.com

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Thermal Gradient Announces Manufacture of Next Generation DNA Testing Device

Posted in DNA

Research and Markets: DNA Sequencing and PCR Markets

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5f3wk7/dna_sequencing_and) has announced the addition of the "DNA Sequencing and PCR Markets" report to their offering.

DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are two major technology platforms of value in life science research, drug discovery and clinical diagnostics. The markets for sequencing are extremely competitive, driven by rapid technological advancements and aggressive price wars. Next-generation sequencing presents an exciting area of growth for life science tool vendors, including those providing sequencers, ancillary instrumentation, reagents and software.

This TriMark Publications report provides an in-depth analysis of key technology and market trends in the high-throughput sequencing space while analyzing the main drivers of growth in markets for PCR products and applications. The study provides a thorough overview of DNA sequencing and PCR, including applications, opportunities, technological trends, and market share and dynamics with a particular focus on the U.S., Japan, European, and Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) markets.

This report also analyzes almost all of the companies known to be marketing, manufacturing or developing DNA sequencing and PCR products in the U.S. and worldwide. Each company is discussed in extensive depth with a section on its history, product line, business and marketing analysis, and a subjective commentary of the company's market position. Detailed tables and charts with sales forecasts and market data are also included.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Overview

2. Introduction to DNA Sequencing and PCR Technology

3. DNA Sequencing Technologies and Market Analysis

4. PCR and DNA Amplification Technologies and Markets

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Research and Markets: DNA Sequencing and PCR Markets

Posted in DNA

Research sheds new light on kinky DNA

(Phys.org) -- A breakthrough in DNA research from the University of Reading could be used to devise new therapeutic treatments for cancer.

Professor Christine Cardin, from the Department of Chemistry, has seen for the first time how one group of metal-containing molecules interacts with DNA. The molecules create new steps in its structure that fluoresce or glow under the microscope. This sheds new light on how and why our DNA changes shape.

The double helix could be justifiably called a scientific icon. Graphics showing the intertwined strands are used to market everything from hair shampoo to high-tech medical equipment. Yet we know remarkably little about exactly how molecules which are known to bind to DNA change its structure.

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She said: "We now know that when molecules bind to DNA symmetrically within the minor groove they can't form other interactions, while those which go in at an angle can, linking to further segments of DNA and creating a kink. How molecules bind to DNA is important for designing probes for specific DNA sequences. Many genes are switched on and off when the right protein creates a kink in the DNA double helix, and a drug which could do this selectively could be a used to further medical research.

"This kinking behaviour probably occurs with other molecules, but this is the first time it has been directly visualized with a small molecule."

More information: The paper, Crystal structures of L-[Ru(phen)2dppz]2+ with oligonucleotides containing TA/TA and AT/AT steps show two intercalation modes', by Niyazi, H, et al., appears in Nature Chemistry, DOI: 10.1038/NCHEM.1397

Journal reference: Nature Chemistry

Provided by University of Reading

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Research sheds new light on kinky DNA

Posted in DNA

DNA match results in arrest

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla - A DNA match stemming from blood left on curtains three years ago during a home burglary helped police arrest a local man in connection with the case, according to a detective and records obtained Monday.

Ruben Toussaint, now 21, was arrested earlier this month on charges including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft stemming from the June 2009 incidents, said Port St. Lucie police Detective Christopher Fulcher.

At the time, a woman living in a home in the 5800 block of Northwest Hann Drive told police she had returned from visiting her sister and noticed her residence had been burglarized, a report states.

A sliding door was shattered and some electronics were reported stolen. Police noticed what appeared to be blood on a curtain and took portions for DNA testing.

Fulcher said that in March 2011 Toussaint was arrested in Port St. Lucie in connection with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting without violence. In November, Fulcher said, Toussaint was convicted of those charges.

"Once convicted, they took a DNA sample from him and placed it into this national database or databank," Fulcher said. "DNA from the curtain ... hit on that in the system."

Fulcher said Toussaint wasn't a suspect at the time of the 2009 burglary.

"We didn't even know who he was," Fulcher said.

Fulcher said Toussaint, who at the time lived near the burglarized home, denied being in the residence.

"DNA works," Fulcher said. "Where ever you step, where ever you go, there will be scientific evidence to find you later."

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DNA match results in arrest

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DNA match leads Arkansas man to plead guilty to 1993 New Orleans rape

Faced with a DNA match, a 43-year-old man pleaded guilty Mondayin Orleans Parishto a rape he committed 18 years ago. Reginald Berry pleaded guilty to forcible rape and second-degree kidnapping, and Criminal District Judge Laurie White sentenced him to 22 years in prison under the deal.

Authorities pinned Berry to the crime through a federal DNA database. He had been living and working in Arkansas before his arrest on April 28, 2011, said his attorney, Aris Cox VI.

Authorities also had Berry pegged to another sexual assault, Cox said. A state grand jury indicted him in June, 2011.

"They had evidence. There was another allegation they were going to bring in should he have survived this trial," Cox said. "I'm sure they would have charged him with that."

Under the plea deal, that case goes away, Cox said.

According to Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro's office, the woman said Berry forced her into his residence in the 6700 block of Tara Lane in eastern New Orleans and raped her.

She called police and identified the perpetrator through a description of his apartment, but the investigation went nowhere, Cannizzaro's office said.

The woman submitted to a rape exam kit, and in 2007 a database hit identified Berry as a match. Again, the case lagged, Cannizzaro's office said, until New Orleans police laterstarted clearing up a backlog of unconfirmed DNA hits.

The victim was not eager to participate in a prosecution, according to a news release from Cannizzaro's office.

"It is always difficult to prosecute a case that is nearly two decades old and it is even harder when the victim feels as though she was not treated with respect during the initial rape investigation," Cannizzaro said in a news release.

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DNA match leads Arkansas man to plead guilty to 1993 New Orleans rape

Posted in DNA

Kevin Densmore Enhances DNA Seattle’s Strategic Media Capability as New Director of Media & Analytics

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

DNA Seattle, an independent full-service agency with expertise in brand strategy, advertising, digital strategy and media, announced today the hiring of Kevin Densmore as director of media & analytics.

With a 24-year career in media planning and buying, Densmore brings Effie Award-winning experience for his work on AAA/Washington and DIRECTV to DNA Seattle.

Densmore will oversee media planning and buying for all DNA Seattle clients, with a focus on innovative thinking fueled by great strategy, solid research tools for planning and state-of-the-art platforms for executing. His media expertise ranges from traditional broadcast, print and outdoor media to non-traditional that includes viral, online, mobile, events and trade.

I was attracted to DNA because they have a great track record of producing differentiating creative that is informed by great strategy. My focus is making sure that media first remains a discipline of innovating and not merely optimizing. We can support DNAs great creative work by developing innovative media ideas that on their own can produce big changes for clients, said Densmore.

Kevin is smart, thoughtful and a natural leader who brings a significant strategic strength to DNA. His depth of experience in traditional media planning, along with his thought leadership in new media and analytics will keep our media capability ahead of the curve in the market, said Alan Brown, principal and managing director at DNA Seattle.

Previously, Densmore was VP/director of media and analytics at HL2, where he oversaw media planning/buying and analytics for all accounts, including Microsoft HealthVault, Microsoft Response Point, Bing, Windows Phone, HTC, Overlake Hospital, H&R Block, Pike Place Market, and Vail Resorts. He has also served in various media positions with Draftfcb, Foote Cone & Belding and Campbell-Ewald/Los Angeles.

Densmore has a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a love of golf and basketball, which has led him to attend the March Madness of the NCAA basketball tournament 23 years in a row.

About DNA Seattle

Founded in 1998, DNA is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Seattle, Washington. The agency provides services in brand strategy, advertising, interactive and design. As one of the fastest growing agencies on the West Coast, DNA has a talent and passion for transforming brandsand helping their client partners win unreasoning loyalty from their customers and prospects in the process. Some of DNAs clients include: Group Health Cooperative, PEMCO Insurance, BECU, The Avon Foundation, F5, Executive Travel Magazine, GlobalScholar and University of Washington. Visit DNA on the Web atwww.dnaseattle.com, on Twitter at @dnaseattle and on Facebook.

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Kevin Densmore Enhances DNA Seattle’s Strategic Media Capability as New Director of Media & Analytics

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DNA and Ericsson boost customer experience in Finland

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN--(Marketwire -06/26/12)-

-- Greatly improved end-user experience

-- Single customer care tool presents a real-time overview of the customer

-- Reduced churn and opex

Finnish operator DNA has chosen Ericsson (ERIC) to provide a Customer Experience Management (CEM) solution based on User Data Consolidation (UDC) for real-time data consolidation and exposure. This solution will enable DNA to resolve customer-care issues in a faster and more efficient way than was previously possible. As a result, the end-user experience will be greatly improved.

The DNA Customer Care center serves more than 3 million users -- a high proportion of who are mobile broadband users who demand high standards of service quality and user experience. With the new solution, DNA benefits from reduced time per call and escalations to second-line support, which significantly enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty and reduces churn and opex.

"Delivering high-quality customer care is at the heart of our business," says Tommy Olenius, Vice President, Technology, DNA. "The implementation of this solution gives us the optimal tools to monitor the customer experience and to proactively make adjustments as issues arise."

To support DNA in coping with increased demand for high-quality services and user experience, Ericsson put together a team of technical experts whose main focus has been to capture the needs of the customer-care organization.

Magnus Furustam, Head or Product Area Core and IMS, Ericsson Business Unit Networks, says: "DNA's focus on end-user satisfaction and operational efficiency and Ericsson's expertise in optimizing service have combined in this project to support a new generation of mobile broadband users who constantly pose new challenges to the customer experience management area."

After this first phase, Ericsson aims to further explore the value that can be created from the user data assets that DNA has in different parts of its networks, where the User Profile Gateway (UPG) is a key element for aggregation and exposure of user and network data. This will provide DNA with advanced solutions for proactive customer care, automated root-cause analysis and benefits beyond the mobile broadband area.

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DNA and Ericsson boost customer experience in Finland

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DNA given after rugby rape claim

Steve Tew

South African police are waiting for the results of forensic tests before deciding whether to press rape charges against one player in the New Zealand Under 20 rugby team.

South African media initially reported four members of the team were accused of raping a 22-year-old woman in a room at the Southern Sun Hotel Newlands in Cape Town after the final on Friday evening (SA time).

Earlier in the evening, the team had lost 22-16 to South Africa in the Junior Rugby World Championship final.

"An allegation of rape is as serious as it comes", NZ Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew told Radio New Zealand today.

The team and management did not leave South Africa until they got permission from authorities and would continue to co-operate fully, he said.

He confirmed at least one player provided DNA samples for the investigation.

There were protocols for teams when they were on trips away, but breaches sometimes occurred, he said.

"But unfortunately, when you have that many young men away on tour some things happen that you'd prefer not to and now we're dealing with the consequences."

South African police officer Colonel Vish Naido told Radio New Zealand the woman told police she had been drinking and had little memory of what happened.

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DNA given after rugby rape claim

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DNA match results in arrest of Port St. Lucie man

PORT ST. LUCIE

A DNA match stemming from blood left on curtains three years ago during a home burglary helped police arrest a local man in connection with the case, according to a detective and records obtained Monday.

Ruben Toussaint, now 21, was arrested earlier this month on charges including burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft stemming from the June 2009 incidents, saidPort St. Lucie policeDetective Christopher Fulcher.

At the time, a woman living in a home in the 5800 block of Northwest Hann Drive told police she had returned from visiting her sister and noticed her residence had been burglarized, a report states.

A sliding door was shattered and some electronics were reported stolen. Police noticed what appeared to be blood on a curtain and took portions for DNA testing.

Fulcher said that in March 2011 Toussaint was arrested in Port St. Lucie in connection with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting without violence. In November, Fulcher said, Toussaint was convicted of those charges.

"Once convicted, they took a DNA sample from him and placed it into this national database or databank," Fulcher said. "DNA from the curtain ... hit on that in the system."

Fulcher said Toussaint wasn't a suspect at the time of the 2009 burglary.

"We didn't even know who he was," Fulcher said.

Fulcher said Toussaint, who at the time lived near the burglarized home, denied being in the residence.

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DNA match results in arrest of Port St. Lucie man

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